Self reported Quality of Life, Problems Faced, and their Management Strategies Among Children with Leukemia Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Descriptive Study

The number of children with leukemia is rising.There are very few reports onself-reported quality of life from low-middle-income countries (LMIC) like India, whereas it is fairly well-reported from high-income countries. The current study is undertaken to comprehensively assess the self-reported quality of life, problems faced, and management strategies of children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. To assess the Quality of life problems faced and management strategies among children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. A descriptive quantitative design and consecutive sampling technique was adopted, involving 97 children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy at selected areas of a tertiary care centre. Data collection tools were an interview schedule comprising sociodemographic data, clinical profile, and PedsQL 3.0-C (cancer module), problems faced, and related management strategies. Ethical approval was obtained from the institute’s ethics committee. The study was conducted on 97 children in the age group 6–18 years. Out of these, 32 children (33%) were between 6-7 years, and 65 children (67%) were between 8-18 years. The mean score of the PedsQL 3.0-C is 65.79 ±29.15 and the domain-wise percentage of children who faced problems ranged between 58.7% to 95.8 %. Overall, the highest score was in the domain of worry and the lowest was in nausea. Common symptoms reported by children included nausea (95.8%), pain (80.4%), cognitive issues (84.5%), and anxiety (70.1%). Psychosocial issues such as irritability (91.7%), sleep disturbances (85.5%), and bullying in school (55.6%). Management strategies used by caregivers include medication, rest, hydration, and emotional support. The findings of our study highlight that pediatric leukemia and its treatment significantly impact children's health in various domains including pain and hurt, nausea, procedural anxiety, treatment anxiety, worry, cognitive problems, looks and communication. The interventions focused on symptom control, school reintegration, and psychosocial support may improve quality of life.